It’s been record breaking weather here in California and T.W.O. was in the mood for a light, delicious, refreshing salad. We combined fruit, vegetables and cheese to make this vegetarian meal. Bikini meal approved!!

Roasted Beet and Berry Burrata Kale Salad

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Remove the leafy steams on the beets. Wash and clean the beets. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet. (Or place a piece of foil under each beat so the juices don’t get everywhere.
3. Cook for 1 hour, checking the beets every 20 minutes.
4. While the beets are cooking, wash and chop the kale. Place on individual plates.
5. Top with washed berries and sliced cucumbers. Evenly cut up the burrata and add to each salad.
6. Once the beats are done, remove and let cool for 2 minutes. Peel the skins off the beets using a knife. Thinly slice.
7. Add the sliced beets to the outside of the plate for presentation and top with the soy dressing or a dressing of your choice!

Kale is known as the queen of greens since it has one of the most health benefits than any other vegetable. In one cup of chopped kale, there are 33 calories, 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C and 684% of vitamin K. Impressive, right?! It doesn’t stop there though – – it also is a good source of minerals copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus and potassium. This leafy green also lowers the blood cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of heart disease.

So with that being said, T.W.O. enjoys making kale salads for lunch to ensure they reach their required daily value of nutrients. Check out this Kale, chickpea, and carrot salad and lemon vinaigrette recipe below.

Wash and rinse the kale. Remove core stems and chop. (T.W.O. didn’t remove the entire core stem – just the thick part near the bottom. We like the little crunch in our salad!) Place in a bowl. Add the chickpeas. Chopped the carrots in thick slices and add to the salad mixture. The thinner the slices, the soggier the carrots will get as the salad marinates…. So thick slices work best!

Toss the salad dressing in the salad mixture and place in the refrigerator to marinate. For best results, leave in for about an hour. You can also leave the kale in a sealed container without it going soggy for up to 2 days. Great idea for weekday lunches!

Tonight is a special Friday Night Pizza Night because not only are we baking a new pizza, we are also celebrating a special birthday thats tomorrow! Cheers to our sister-in-law Becky!!!! We know your favorite pizza is Barbeque Chicken Pizza, but we are confident you will like this Potato, Kale, Garlic and Cheese pizza. Happy Friday Night Pizza Night and HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY!!!

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured and cornmeal surface.
3. Meanwhile, slice washed potato very thin. Put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle Lawry’s seasoning on the potatoes. Cook for about 15-20 minutes.
4. Spread 1 Tablespoon of olive oil on the surface on the dough, topping with garlic and dried basil leaves.
5. Spread mozzarella and fontina cheeses evenly over dough. Add chopped kale and red onion. Top with potato slices.
6. Put the pizza in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cheeses are melted and crust is crisp and lightly browned.

Happy Friday Night Pizza Night!!

SPECIAL ADDITION – BIRTHDAY CHEERS

Happy Birthday Becky!!
Thanks for being such a great sister-law! We have shared so many moments together- Giants playoff games, Stagecoach concerts, Sonoma wine tasting, beach bike rides, ladder golf matches, holiday family fun and most of all – being bridesmaids for the day that you married our brother! Thank you for being a joy to be around, filling the room with smiles and laughter. We love you so much and cannot wait to share many more memories with you!

T.W.O. has really enjoyed cooking with coconut lately. Coconut not only adds phenomenal flavor, but also has many nutritional benefits. So we decided to combine it with 3 other nutrient-rich ingredients – kale, sweet potatoes and salmon! And wow, this is a great combination. We have no doubt you will enjoy! Put it on this week’s menu – you won’t be disappointed! Our good fiend ‘Tiny Bit Of Joy’ also enjoyed a similar recipe the same night – – – its that good!

Place the sweet potatoes on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a tablespoon of melted coconut oil and sea salt. Toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender.

Place kale and coconut flakes on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with about 2/3 of the dressing. Toss until well coated. Place salmon on top of the kale and drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining dressing. Bake the salmon and coconut kale mixture during the last 15 minutes of the sweet potato’s baking time, or until cooked through, being careful not to let the kale burn.

Remove sweet potatoes, salmon, and kale from oven. Serve over fluffed rice with an extra drizzle of dressing.

Are you a fan of Chinese Chicken Salad? Well, you are reading the right recipe! If you aren’t, that’s okay. Try it out anyways; you might be pleasantly surprised. Thanks to a co-worker, T.W.O. was introduced to Lacinato kale. It is also known as Tuscan kale, Tuscan cabbage, or Italian kale. It is lightly a little sweeter and more delicate than your traditional curly kale. The smooth leaves combined with the rice noodles, crunchy almonds and the mandarin oranges makes this salad a perfect meal!

Bring pot of water to a bowl. Once it reaches to a boil, remove from heat and add your rice noodles. Cover and let it sit for 10 minutes. Once the noodles are done, drain and add rice vinegar. Set aside.

Chop the kale and put in a big bowl. Add your rice noodles, mandarin oranges, carrots and almonds. Toss in the lemon vinaigrette dressing. Plate and serve! Feel free to add chicken or any other protein to make it a meal!

Need to spice up your salad? Well, T.W.O. has the perfect recipe for you. This salad is filled with nutrients, protein and antioxidants and will be sure to leave you wanting seconds! The baby kale leaves are tossed in a homemade lemon vinaigrette, topped with roasted almonds, pomegranates and sliced apples. Oh and it doesn’t stop there-we need protein right? Yes! How about a lean barbeque flank steak that was marinated in Hawaiian teriyaki sauce? You got it! Check out how to make this salad from scratch.

Marinate the flank steak for a minimum of 2 hours prior to barbequing. About 20 minutes before you are ready to barbeque, take the meat out to bring to room temperature. While the barbeque is heating up, prepare your salad.

In a bowl, mix together the kale, pomegranate, roasted almonds and apples. Set aside.

Put the meat on the barbeque and cook on medium heat. The meat should take about 15 minutes depending on your barbeque.

While the meat is cooking, prepare your dressing. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, spicy mustard, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix the dressing in the salad. It is okay to let the salad dressing marinate the kale. Kale won’t get soggy like most lettuce.

When the meat is done, take it off the barbeque and transfer to a cutting board. Thinly slice the meat. Plate the salad and top of it with the flank steak. And that’s it…you have yourself a fresh, hearty salad that will satisfy any audience.